The present invention relates to an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from a recording medium, and a broadcasting system for broadcasting information.
Heretofore, there have been proposed various systems for receiving and loading information into various hardware terminals for use. Such systems have been available in many forms. First, reproducing systems for reproducing stored information are available. These systems include playback apparatuses for playing back information stored on a storage medium, such as a compact disk (CD), mini disk (MD), digital audio tape (DAT), cassette tape, video tape, or the like. Such systems also include TV game machines and portable game machines that load prestored gaming information from an appropriate storage medium and utilize the stored information for playing a game.
Recording/reproducing systems have also been proposed in which in addition to the reproduction function, a recording function is provided with the apparatus. Such recording/reproducing apparatus include MD or DAT recorders, cassette decks, video cassette decks, radio cassette recorders, TV sets with built-in video cassette decks, and video cassette decks with built-in decoders, and the like. These systems comprise a combination of a hardware terminal for loading prestored information from a storage medium, and an added recording function to record information to the recording medium. These systems also may include the ability to receive information distributed through a radio/wire transmission system and to record this information on the recording medium, or to immediately reproduce this information.
There have also been proposed systems, including TV, radio (FM, AM), CATV, pagers, portable telephones, and personal handphone systems (PHS), for distributing and receiving information through a combination of radio transmission and wire circuit broadcasting networks. These systems include receiving terminals for viewing and listening to received broadcast information at substantially the same time that the information is distributed and received, in a real time manner.
Pager systems for transmitting data to pager terminals have also been proposed to be used as broadcasting systems. To allow only desired pagers to receive various information, the broadcasting system is designed to simultaneously broadcast data including the various information with ID data indicative of the identification of a particular pager that is to receive the broadcast data added thereto as identification information. A prior art pager system employing such ID information is shown in FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 9, when a transmitting party desires to initiate communication with at least one particular pager, the transmitting party dials a desired number associated with the desired pager on one of a plurality of pushbutton dialing telephone sets 1111-111m. Multiple numbers may be dialed at once, one on each pushbutton dialing telephone set. The dialed number is forwarded via a communication circuit 112, to a central station 120, and is converted by an ID converter 122 to a pager terminal ID address indicative of a particular pager to be addressed. The pager terminal ID address is then encoded by an encoder 123, and is transmitted by a MODEM 124 to a plurality of base stations 1301-130n. MODEMS 1311-131n receive the data transmitted from central station 120 in each base station 1301-130n. Transmitters 1321-132n then simultaneously transmit the data by modulated broadcast waves through antenna 1331-133n. The transmitted data includes the pager terminal ID information including data received from the central station.
A plurality of pager terminals 1411-141n, each having a respective identification ID unique thereto, are provided for receiving the broadcast data transmitted through antenna 1311-131n. Of the pager terminals 1411-141n which have received the transmitted data including the ID information from one of base stations 1301-130n, only the one of the pager terminals whose unique internal ID agrees with the ID received as part of the transmitted data is addressed, and is enabled to download, store and interpret the transmitted data. Thus, each pager includes a unique ID associated therewith, and downloads only information specifically intended for that particular pager.
However, each of these prior art systems suffers from at least one of the following problems:
While systems in which prestored gaming or other information is loaded into terminals for use for playing a game or the like can handle and reproduce a large amount of data, including image and sound data, these systems are not able to receive and handle real time information. Thus, there is no way for a user to receive and use the most up to date information. Prestored gaming or other information cannot be updated on a real time basis. Users must go to a store or other retail outlet location to buy updated prestored information on a new recording medium, for example. This new recording medium is similarly likely not to have the most up to date information.
On the other hand, systems that are adapted to receive distributed broadcast information through a radio or wire circuit broadcast system having reception systems provided at terminals for viewing and listening to contents at substantially the same time that the contents are distributed can retrieve and display information on a real time basis. However, these systems can only receive, process and display a small amount of information at one time, thus limiting the ability to receive and display complicated image and sound data. Furthermore, a permanent facility is required for broadcasting and distributing the information. Finally, users are generally charged a fixed rate for use of the broadcast service, and are not charged based upon the amount of information actually received, processed and displayed.
Systems which include a recording function in addition to a hardware terminal for loading prestored information or that include a function to receive information distributed through a radio and wire circuit have an increased ability to receive more extensive up-to-date information. These systems including a recording function can record information received from broadcasted information distributed through the radio or wire broadcast system, and can replay this information at any future desired time. However, though such a time-shifting capability (i.e. replay of information at a later time) improves the amount of information that can be received and displayed at near real time, it is only the received broadcast information that is reproduced to a user in the simple reproducing apparatuses. The amount of information distributed through the radio or wire broadcast signal is the same as during any other broadcast, and the information may not be able to be displayed on a real time basis if it takes the information a long time to be broadcast and received. In other words, because the information is being received from a broadcast, the amount of information that can be received is limited. Thus, to display complicated data, a long time for downloading might be necessary. In addition, a permanent facility is still required to distribute and broadcast the information, and users are only charged a fixed rate for the broadcast service, as noted above, rather than on a use basis.
It would be beneficial to provide an improved information reproducing and broadcasting system that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved information reproducing apparatus and broadcasting system.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved information reproducing apparatus and broadcasting system that allows for the downloading and processing data by a plurality of reproducing apparatuses on a real time basis.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved information reproducing apparatus and broadcasting system including hardware terminals having prestored software information therein that can process a large amount of information and can also process additional information on a real time basis.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved broadcasting system that allows for users of a particular prestored information to receive broadcast information, irrespective of the actual terminal ID.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved information reproducing apparatus and broadcasting system that can charge users based upon the amount of information used, rather than on a fixed rate.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification and the drawings.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, an improved information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from a recording medium is provided with a detector for detecting identification information from the recording medium. A receiver for receiving a broadcast of information to which broadcast identification information is added is also provided, and further included is a determining circuit for determining whether identification information from the received broadcast signal corresponds to the identification information detected from the recording medium. A storage memory is provided for storing downloaded broadcast information that is downloaded by the information reproducing apparatus if the identification information from the broadcast signal corresponds to the identification information detected from the recording medium, and an output apparatus for outputting information stored in the storage memory is also included.
Further in accordance with the invention, a broadcasting system is provided with an identification information manager for managing identification information added to information to be broadcast. A broadcasting network is also provided for broadcasting information to which identification information has been added by the identification information manager. An information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from a recording medium is also provided. The information reproducing apparatus further includes a receiver for receiving broadcast information to which identification information has been added from the broadcasting system, a detector for detecting identification information from the recording medium, a sorter for sorting out and selecting received broadcast information in which the identification information added thereto is in agreement with the identification information detected from the recording medium, and an output apparatus for outputting information sorted out and selected by the sorting means.